The Power Of Testimony

The Power of Testimony

I. Testimony enhances our spiritual life

a. I love biographies – Wilberforce, Bonhoeffer, Studd

b. Law and Order – power of the testimonial

c. Question – whose testimony has affected you and why?

d. Story is important in the post-Modern culture

i. Rejection of the meta narrative

ii. Argumentative ideas are no longer part of our culture – apologetics, tracts

iii. Story, testimony is what draws people to ideas and interaction with the meta-narrative

II. Paul’s Testimony

a. Acts 9, 22, 26

i. Luke describes Paul’s conversion in Acts 9

ii. Acts 22 – Paul has arrived back to Jerusalem and is arrested – he gives his testimony to the people

iii. Acts 26 – Paul gives testimony to Agrippa (Jewish King) and Festus (Roman Governor)

iv. Read Acts 26: 1-32 – Ask for observations

III. Three Points on the power of Testimony

a. Testimonies must be credible

i. Principle of unprovable facts with two examples

1. Mormons – Testimony of Joseph Smith completely unprovable

2. Resurrection of Jesus – bodily resurrection not spiritual

ii. Testimony at my trial

iii. Karry’s testimony

iv. Todd White’s testimony

b. Testimonies must always point to the Trinitarian God

i. Must be careful in testimonies that include the supernatural that the focus is not on the supernatural experience but on the Holy Spirit / Jesus / Father

ii. Testimonies have their power in Jesus – not in experience

c. Our Testimonies are not our own

i. 2 Cor. 3:1-6

ii. We don’t know who our testimonies are going to affect

iii. Story of Sr. Amber – Voice of the Martyrs

Sister Amber – VOMradio.com “Tibet: I’m with you always”

Worked in Tibet for 16 years ministering to the people of Tibet.

2013 she was arrested by the police. They put her in front of 5 officers and tried to force her to write her their confession of crimes she did not commit. She prayed and was close to giving into their demands when God touched her and told her to write her testimony of coming to faith and all that God had done to and through her. At the end of her testimony she wrote that the reason she was in Tibet was to spread the love of Jesus, even to them. They rejected the writing, ripped it up and forced her to write again, but she persisted and kept writing out her testimony. The physical punishment came and in the midst of this punishment the Holy Spirit spoke to her and said that “They are persecuting me not you, will you lend me your body? Will you love them even though they persecute you?” From that point on her punishment did not have the same pain level as before and she was able to endure and love them even through the tortured her. Throughout the torture, she told them that she loved them and that Jesus loved them and that she forgave them for what they were doing to her.

She was eventually released and departed out of the country. She went home and was reunited with her mother. While Amber was in prison, her mother received a vision of her daughter at a table with 5 Asian policemen. The Lord put this picture on Amber’s mother’s heart and she prayed over this picture not knowing that it was the exact scene her daughter was going through at that time. God spoke to Amber’s mother about one of the policemen and He said “I’ve got very special plan for this man.” Amber was a missionary not only to the Tibetan people, but she was a missionary to an unreached people group – the policemen who were torturing her. But for her testimony, they would not have heard the Gospel.